Although some were taken aback by the NBA’s collective stand on August 26th, protests within athletics are not new. Athletes have used their platform to advocate for a multitude of issues ranging from racial discrimination, wars, women’s rights, and even for economic wages. With each of these protests came its own set of challenges and backlash. Today we hope to highlight a few of these historical stories to give some perspective on how protests in athletics have evolved throughout time.
Political protest against racial discrimination has been an active part of athletics on both the collegiate and national level since the 1900s. In 1940 there was an active political protest at NYU against the discrimination of NYU fullback Leonard Bates. Bates was not permitted to play in a scheduled game against the University of MIssouri because the university had asked to exclude all Black players from the event. This was unfortunately a common practice at the time called a “gentleman’s agreement”. Some schools, especially in the South, would ask the opposing team to remove Black players from a scheduled game. In most cases, the schools would comply, however, in this case a group of seven NYU students led by Evelyn Witkin, protested this action to allow Bates to play. The group, later deemed “the Bates Seven”, led over a thousand students to sign petitions and pickett the university admissions office with the chant “Bates must play!”. NYU did not listen to protestors. Leonard Bates was not allowed to play and all seven leaders were suspended in 1941. Luckily, sixty years later, the university’s athletic department recognized these students and “acknowledg[ed their] good work and courage” by celebrating them at a dinner held at the university. Although this is not enough to apologize for what these students and Bates had to go through, the school recognized their bravery in a time where going against the “norm” of racial discrimination was not celebrated.
On the national level, multiple olympians have protested racial discrimination on the public stage. Wilma Rudolph, a three gold medal champion in the 1960 Rome Olympics, refused to participate in a segregated parade in Clarksville, Tennessee. Her protest of segregation led to one of the first integrated events in Clarksville history. In 1968, two 200-meter champions, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, stood on the olympic podium with black socks and no shoes to protest racial poverty, and beads to represent the victims of lynching. They held gloved fists in the air to salute the Black Power movement during the national anthem, to highlight institutionalized racism in America. In a statement following the incident, Tommie Smith said, “If I win I am an American, not a Black American. But if I did something bad then they would say 'a Negro'. We are Black and we are proud of being Black.” The public response to this act was not positive. The crowds shouted racist slurs, and the two medalists were suspended from the U.S. team because of their actions. Upon return to the States they faced further backlash, ranging from having trouble finding jobs to facing death threats. The third medalist, Peter Norman, a White Australian, stood in solidarity with the two olympians on the podium, wearing a badge for the Olympic Project for Human Rights. The runner did this in protest of racist practices in Australia against Aboriginals, and in solidarity with the Amercans. Norman was severely punished for this action. Following his silver medal, he qualified for the Olympics multiple times, but even when he beat all other contestants for the qualification, the Australian team decided to not even send a sprinter to rebuke him for his actions. Despite all of this, before his death in 2006 Norman stated, “But really, I ended up running the fastest race of my life to become part of something that transcended the Games.” In the end, their efforts were worth the cost of their careers. All of these athletes will be celebrated as activists in times where activism was not readily accepted.
A great example of activism for women’s athletics is Katherine Switzer, the first woman to ever run the Boston Marathon. Katherine was only 19 when she decided that she wanted to run a marathon. With no other intention in mind, besides wanting to complete a 26.1 mile race, Katherine registered under the name “K.V. Switzer” and prepared for the race. There was no rule explicitly stating that women could not run at the time, however, in 1967, many believed women were not capable of running a marathon, or that they would soil the professionalism of the sport. When Katherine started the race, fellow runners supported her, however, as the race continued she was attacked by the race manager. He pulled at her shirt and yelled for her to leave the race. Other runners also yelled, harassed, and man-handled Katherine as she continued to run. At first she was terrified for her own life, but as the harassment continued, she realized that she had to finish the race. She had to prove that women could run, so that future women could follow in her footsteps. Katherine continued to lead the way for women in running. Throughout her life she helped women participate in marathons, and even helped add a woman marathon to the Olympics in 1984.
Athletes have also used their platform as a means of protesting war. Muhammed Ali, born Cassius Clay, changed his name upon converting to Islam and is perhaps the most well known and greatest boxer in history. He first received the title of Heavyweight Champion in 1964 at age 22. In 1966 Ali refused to be inducted into the United States Army to fight in the Vietnam War on the grounds of being a conscientious objector, citing his religion and beliefs in his opposition to war. Ali stated, “my conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America.” He continued, “And shoot them for what? They never called me n*****, they never lynched me, they didn’t put no dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. … Shoot them for what? How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.” It was on this day that Ali was stripped of his boxing license. At 25 years old Ali was charged with draft evasion and stripped of his heavyweight title. Many believed that he missed out on the best years of his career, but his convictions would not allow him to give in. In 1970 Ali regained his boxing license, in 1971 the US Supreme Court overturned his charge of draft evasion, and in 1974 Ali once again earned his title of heavyweight champion. Ali is not the only athlete against war. Several Black athletes at the time came to Ali’s defense and showed support for his decision not to fight in Vietnam, including Jim Brown, Bill Russell, and Lew Alcindor. Many years later, during the Iraq War, playing the song “God Bless America” became custom during the seventh inning stretch. Carlos Delgado, a now retired MLB player for the Blue Jays and Mets, protested the Iraq War by staying seated in the dugout while other players left to stand on the field. These men refused to accept war as a valid option, and their prominence in sports gave them the platform to voice their dissent.
Magic Johnson was a renowned basketball player for the LA Lakers and the picture of physical health, until 1991 when he announced he had contracted HIV. He then proceeded to use his platform to change public perception of the virus, advocate for access to healthcare, and protest against the lack of proper government response to this epidemic. At the time, HIV, the virus that leads to AIDs, was believed to be a disease common only to gay men and drug users. Misconceptions about the disease were extremely common. When Johnson announced his diagnosis, and his retirement from the NBA effective immediately, he radically altered the public’s perception of the disease into a virus that does not discriminate. He established the Magic Johnson Foundation to further AIDs research and advocacy. When he returned to basketball three months later to play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, his fitness and excellent game served to further dispel misconceptions about the disease. Johnson also joined the National Commission on AIDs, but resigned from his position in 1992 in protest of the White House ignoring their recommendations. Magic Johnson's activism in regard to the AIDs epidemic, as well as his refusal to be associated with a government ignoring the recommendations of experts, is the perfect example of an athlete using their platform to push for the betterment of our communities.
These are just a few of the many examples of political activism in athletics. In each of these protests, individuals demonstrated bravery and foresight in the midst of a society that was not ready to accept them. Without these leaders on the global and local level, we would not be where we are today in terms of public political activism. The collective action of the NBA on August 26th could happen because of the past leaders who took individual action to protest against these issues. As a collective body, we can change the world. Remember to continue the fight and use your platform to advocate for those who need it. Please remember, it is essential to vote on November 3rd, so we can continue to fight, advocate, and stand up for what is right.
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